Remember the dead in Sri Lanka – 18 May

Thousands died because of war crimes in Mullivaikal, Sri Lanka a year ago. We can do our bit here in Malaysia by attending a Remembrance Event tonight at Brickfields Girls Guide Hall (or at least light a lamp at home) and signing Amnesty International’s petition. Details below.

Source: International Crisis Group

One year ago, thousands of Tamils lost their lives in the dying days of the Sri Lankan civil war. Despite calls by numerous international agencies, the Sri Lankan government has blocked any independent inquiry into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. For background information, read here.

Today is the 1st anniversary of that tragic event. It will be celebrated in Sri Lanka as a day of victory. It will be mourned in the rest of the world, particularly by members of the worldwide Global Tamil Forum as a day of tragedy.

One year on, the situation for civilian communities caught up in the conflict shows no sign of improving:

Some 80,000 people remain in camps and funds for their support are running out.

The rest of the 300,000 displaced civilians who have tried to resettle remain vulnerable and struggle to survive in communities where homes and infrastructure were destroyed.

Thousands of people detained for suspected links to the LTTE remain in detention without access to the courts.

The government continues to extend the state of emergency, restricting many basic human rights and freedom of speech.

No meaningful action has been taken to investigate reports of war crimes

The New York Times also reports that “Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians died in the last, bloody months of Sri Lanka‘s civil war, the International Crisis Group said in an investigative report to be released Monday, most of them as a result of government shelling of areas that were supposed to be safe zones” and ends:

94 Responses to Remember the dead in Sri Lanka – 18 May

I have always encouraged the younger generation to acquire dual use skills and knowledge. This is the message I wish to pass around and I hope the younger ones contribute to wards this.

For instance, Loyar Burok can start acquiring knowledge on toxic substances. Read all you can on this subject, take a online degree, and in two years one can have expert (albeit theoretical) knowledge on this subject. It may be useful someday. That is all we ask. Specialise in one area of dual use skills and knowledge. Such knowledge itself is a bargaining chip. My children is doing the same but in different areas.

Since 1983 the Eelam has been internationalised and we are on our way to try SL for Crimes Against Humanity. The spirit of the LTTE fighters has entered the lives of most tamils (see my post above). Since 1983, 1.1 million tamils have emigrated and are largely leading very successful lives. Along with the other tamils numbering 4 million, the tamil diaspora is considered the wealthiest in the world as published by Forbes.

Since 1939 the tamils have been suffering racial riots, pogroms, custodial killings, abductions and rapes intermittently. It was ramped up in the early 70s and remained unabeted till 1987. Since 1991 there were no more such violations by SL in the areas controlled by the LTTE.

There were mass killings of tamils in the south but the LTTE responded to it immediately with their own retaliatory mass killings. It is these that were reported to as 'terrorist' acts and suicide bombings. The immediately preceding SL mass killings were not reported.

The chances of Eelam are even brighter now as it has been internationalised, the communities permanently divided and the diaspora energised as never before. Dr. Brian Seneviratne himself agrees to this. Have you seen this kind of flames and demonstrations in the diaspora before 2009?

The 1979 SL constitutional amendment does not allow for voting for secession. Besides the east has been demographically diluted.

Under fire or bombing, one don't run for safety in the direction the firing and bombing is coming from. The people could not run for safety because their back was to the sea and in front were the SLA. Look at the map of Mullivaikaal. Earlier the people were bombed when they were in the Safety Zone!

After years of fruitless gandhism, yes, Chelvanayakam and Appapillai Amirthalingam finally promoted violence, or rather they called on the youth (you and me) to rise up and not stop till a separate Eelam is obtained. The VR was carefully crafted to reflect this.

The 50,000 tamils killed are families of the tamil diaspora, not strangers as you imagine. They are direct members of the extended families. Each extended family is coping with the loss and trying to alleviate the grim situation.

Good sinhalas may stay in Eelam. Bad tamils may stay in Sinhalam.

Prabakaran was a Ph D in military strategies rom the University of Vanni, and had a Masters in Military history. He knew more about historical battles than most. He read Marx, Bhagat Singh, Gandhi, Che Guevera, Castro, Machiavelli, among others. He had english books read and translated for him. He also had a diploma on cooking. He was a great cook and served his soldiers well. They say his crab (nandu) curry is the best in the world.

We cannot look to any power to bring about Eelam. We can only look to ourselves as well as the conscience of the peoples' in the world. That is sufficient enough.

I'm afraid you don't know the difference between genocide and individual executions. There were individual executions of informers and those that colluded with the enemy. For example the LTTE No.2 man Mahattaya. Soosai and Pottu Amman were also tortured but spared in the very last last moment. The list is long. In such a struggle there will always be traitors, informers, colluders and detractors. All this must be taken in its stride but dealt with accordingly. We cannot be wimpish on this.

I dont know what you are talking about vellalars. There were vellalars in every militant groups, but mostly in TELO and PLOTE.

The Saiva Vellalars were the land owners in the North and East like Chelvanayakam, Appapillai Amirthalingam, V Yogeswaran, Mrs Yogeswaran, GG Ponnapalam, Kumar Ponnampalam and the like.

All have been killed by the LTTE.

Was the LTTE against Saiva Vellalars ?

How many top LTTE leaders as Saiva Vellalars ? Please name them ?

Was LTTE run by uneducated youth who killed anyone and everyone whom they could not answer / be accountable to ?

These are names of Tamil politicians killed by the LTTE when they ruled the North and East. So please dont say

"The LTTE was the govt and the law for 20 years in the north and east. We have NO record of any genocide or pogrom in the north and east in the last 20 years in the areas they ruled." – this is utter nonsense.

Was the quality of the life of the Tamil man better in 1993 or was it better in 1973 ?

since the civil war broke out in SL are the Tamils chances for an independant state i.e Tamil Eelam brighter now ?

Do Tamil children have a brighter future now when compared to 1948 ?

What are the academic qualifications of Velupillai Prabhakaran ? Did he complete his primary / secondary education ?

What was Prabhakaran working as prior to he forming the LTTE ?

When was the last time the residents in the North and East voted that they want a separate country ?

It is normal for people who are being fired at to run to safety. Why didnt 50,000 Tamils run to safety when shelled by the army during the last days of war ? What or who stopped them from running to safety ?

When was the last time you went to Jaffna and met the people ? How do you get your information ? Through propaganda in the internet , email , papers , magazines or hearsay ?

Do you seriously think USA or UN or Amnesty International can carve out Eelam and present it to the Tamil people without engaging the Sri Lankan Government ?

Did Chelvanayakam and Appapillai Amirthalingam promote violence or did they follow the Ghandian philosophy of non violence ?

Are all Sinhalese racist / bad people ?

Are all Tamils good people ?

How do we help the Tamil people if we continue to snub the Sri Lankan Government ?

How are the Tamils overseas mourning the loss of 50,000 Tamil massacred by the GoSL? What measures have they taken to mourn ? Have they cut back the luxuries of life as a mark of respect ? Or do they just make a nuisance of themselves of the streets once a year and then forget about it ?

Please dont beat around the bush. I want specific answers and not excuses !

" The convergence of interests between New Delhi and Colombo in defeating and destroying the LTTE is now giving way to a divergence of interests in resolving the larger issue that is the Tamil national question.

There does not seem to be an identity of interests between Colombo and New Delhi in formulating a common approach towards the Tamil issue as was done in the case of the LTTE.

The problem is further compounded by the fact that certain assurances were given by the Rajapaksa regime at various levels that a mutually satisfactory settlement would be on the cards after the war against the LTTE was concluded.

The hitch now is the hiatus in perspective between Colombo and New Delhi in bringing about a political solution. There is dissatisfaction in New Delhi that Colombo is procrastinating to subvert and resentment in Colombo that New Delhi is trying to impose its diktat."

"After nearly thirty years of strife and turmoil Indian policy makers reached a difficult decision that the LTTE must be wiped out lock, stock and barrel.

The convergence of interests between New Delhi and Colombo that led to the decimation of the LTTE is now undergoing strains. Contradictions are emerging in the Indo-lanka relationship."

I think we are repeating ourselves and that is why I posted an independent account (Ron Ridenour) of some of what happened in the last few years, hoping that would clear up some misconceptions and anti-LTTE propaganda.

The LTTE was the govt and the law for 20 years in the north and east. We have NO record of any genocide or pogrom in the north and east in the last 20 years in the areas they ruled.

Negotiations can only take place with two parties wanting to negotiate. That is not the case with SL govt. The SL govt called off the last negotiations and truce, NOT the LTTE.

So in the absence of negotiations, there is no other solution offered by any party, is there? No solutions to the ongoing genocide! None at all. No light at the end of the tunnel. Is this the 'solution' the Tamils are asked to accept?

Once again I must say (much to the chagrin of temenggong) that I do agree with malayamuda. Just because genocide is currently ongoing doesn’t justify what used to happen. It is totally unacceptable to say that the LTTE stood between the Tamils & genocide … that’s just what people like temenggong who have this illusion about the LTTE like to believe.

Genocide has been happening even with the LTTE supposedly providing a "bastion" against it and I will agree that what ensued were acts of terrorism against the innocent civilians. I have said this earlier and I reiterate yet again that the LTTE’s actions seem to be defended and revered by our own Tamils despite what has happened … something I am yet to understand.

But of course, temenggong has implied in his previous comment that malaymuda and I are greenhorns as far as our understanding of the happenings in the last 3 decades are concerned and that we are mere parrots who repeat what we were taught. Well, temenggong is entitled to his views as we are to ours …

War is never a solution in many instances and definitely not in the case of the Tamils of Sri Lanka today. Yes, they may not have the bargaining power, but is war the alternative solution? Is the LTTE your only ‘bargaining chip”? Think again. Hasn’t there been enough damage done? How much more are the Tamils expected to lose?

it is agreed that genocide has been committed by both sides, the GoSL and the LTTE. Countering genocide with genocide does not legalise genocide. I am sure we all agree with that.

Tamils right to self determination can ONLY be realised if we engage directly with the GoSL. What we are doing now is that we are engaging with everyone else EXCEPT the GoSL. Obama or Ban Ki Moon cannot carve out Eelam from Sri Lanka and present it to the Tamils without the GoSL agreeing to that. That much we have to agree and realise.

I do NOT agree with Temenggong that "Before, what stood between the Tamils and Genocide was the LTTE". The reason being, genocide continued to occur in the presence of the LTTE between the years 1983 and 2009 against the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Hence the presence of the LTTE did NOT stop genocide against Tamils. If ever it ONLY hastened the process as every Tamil was killed by the SLA on the basis of being a suspected Tamil militant.

Rajan mentiones that closer to home we have various Indian based political parties claiming to represent the Indians in Malaysia. The same occured in Jaffna in the 70s. PLOTE, EPRLF, LTTE, TULF as the like all claiming to represent the Tamils and fight for an independant Eelam.

All are trying to out champion the champion. In Sri Lanka the dominant LTTE managed to wipe out all other Tamil parties and their leaders by assasinating them in the name of them being " traitors" to the Tamil cause. However Rajan, that cant be done in Malaysia unless there emerges a geurilla force of the same nature as the LTTE. They must then convince the rest of us that all other are Traitors and if we dont toe the line we too will be killed.

Then we can all enjoy having ONLY one party to represent us here in Malaysia.

Its my fervent hope that people like Mr Kanesalingam will see this point with a proper sense of urgency and use his good offices to urge others in the Tamil Diaspora [ who are carrying a lot of emotional as well as egoistic luggage ] and realise that we MUST engage with the GoSL for the sake of our Tamil country and our Tamil people together with other International parties to work out an amicable solution to this problem.

Few people are aware that the genocide of the Tamils is ongoing till today! People will come to know of it only in a few years. It never stopped after May 18th, 2009. But now it is low intensity and staggered genocide and ethnic cleansing, and goes largely unnoticed or dismissed as regular crime.

Before, what stood between the Tamils and Genocide was the LTTE. They provided the bastion against it, and gave an immediate retaliatory response, which today are termed as acts of terrorism on innocent civilians!

The bastion remained for 20 years, which kept the people relatively safe compared to prior to 1983, and autonomous, but the region underdeveloped. In the last few years a conspiracy of 6 nations brought an end to the LTTE and enabled the genocide and ethnic cleansing again!

We are not too concerned with GTF's calling for (a) as that action depends on the goodwill of the major nations in pursuing this agenda. IOR, the US has to back it.

As regards (b) it is only theoretical, as a prerequisite for any negotiation are bargaining chips which they bring to the table, but which the Tamils do not possess. The only 'bargaining chip' that we had was, and still is, is the LTTE.

Temenggong, I will dwell into your comments if you promise to see my point of view. What I suggest is , we should tread on middle ground. There should be moderate Tamil leaders able to negotiate our way out. When I stood at the Lankan Prliament in Colombo sometime back I looked back in time and wondered how leaders like A Amirthalingam and Chelvanayakam stood there speaking for the Tamils. I am proud of them !

The LTTE should just serve as a Tamil army to protect the Tamil people from further destruction. I am currently reading Murugar Gunasingams book of the history of the Sri Lankan Tamils, so it is wrong for you to say that I am unaware of past and present History of the Tamils.

I have been following this war with keen interest since the 80s. A great supporter of the LTTE I had been, but somehow after May 2009, and after following the post May 2009 happenings , I feel the war has gone on for too long and we probably need a different approach to our problem.

Over and Out ! I wont be visiting this site again. Thank you to Shamuga Kanesalingam and A Kanesalingam for providing this space for me to write. When we have differing views our thoughts will be stimulated.

Short of placing the LTTE on a pedestal, why are we still defending their actions? They supposedly killed Tamil civilians on the "justification" that those whom they have killed are traitors, betrayers, etc etc etc. They have not helped improve the situation in Sri Lanka … as malayamuda says, the whole war has done nothing to improve the situation of the Sri Lankan Tamils. It has only taken them backwards …Yes, the Sri Lankan government may be blamed for all that has happened but is that burden not to be shared by the LTTE as well? I for one am definitely anti-LTTE regardless of what anyone's thots may be. I have had my grandmother, aunt, niece & nephew shot to death in this stinking war … these are people i've never had the opportunity to meet and get to know …are these people betrayers & traitors …?

you sound like an old mama telling me how great the Ceylonese were once upon a time in Malaysia.

tell me about the LTTE today, I agree they had a glorified past just like the Ceylonese in Malaysia.

Use your head to think, dont use your emotions/ego. Judgement is always blurred when emotions/ego gets in between.

We also like to believe that the Forestry Department in Malaysia had 2,500 staff and the whole civil service had 100,000 people in Malaysia and Mahathir, the court, the police had nothing to do with the Anwar case [ also labelled a traitor here in Malaysia ].

Malayamuda, do you know how large was the LTTE administration? Let me tell you; their Forestry Department itself had 2,500 staff. All in they had about 45,000 people in their military 'government'.

Such a large organisation had many ministeries, departments, committees as well as a military judiciary, complete with prosecutors and defence attorneys. All decisions are carefully deliberated for weeks and 'judgements' are handed over to the 'police' for execution. Prabakaran is entirely removed from these details as for security reasons he only meets the various heads numbering no more than a dozen.

As an experienced person I am telling you not to be gullible. The only thing that still stands between the tamils and genocide is the LTTE.

Temenggong, I cant believe you feel its ok for the LTTE to kil Tamil civilians who they think were informers, betrayers or double crossers. Who decides who is the betrayer? A committe you say decides this. You mean a committee like the Malaysian cabinet filled with Yes men who dare NOT go against their leader ?

That itself shows and speaks volumes to the fact that the Tamils in Sri Lanka will not enjoy independance if a Tamil militant group who has not been elected to power takes over the leadership of Tamil Eelam. If a militant group takes over in Eelam, there will be no parliament and even if there is a parliament there will be no opposition as the Militant controlled courts will have killed all opposition leaders labelling them as a betrayers…….and who is to stop them ?

The fact is for the uneducated militants there is no option. Should the war stop and they lose power, they will be out of a job ! as they possess no skill other than killing ! Hence the war should carry on for their sake.

If you feel the war should go on, use that as your rallying call…….dont hide behind pictures of injured civilians/ injured women and children…..dont send phamplets to people asking us to sponsor a Sri Lankan Tamil family. Just send us a phamlet asking us to help go for war. And you see the response you get !

Finally though you find my comments "repetitious and unworthy of a response" you keep on responding. I am humbled !

As an old man you should be telling me this and I should be the one telling you that we should kill all the Sinhalese on earth.Like wise as an old man Mahathir should be telling all Malaysians to unite and not incite racial hatred amongst us……..however as this is Kaliyuga, i understand your predaciment !

Long Live the Tamils of Eelam ! I rest my case. I hope people reading this blog will realise that 30 yrs of hatred and bloodshed has not taken the Tamils forwards. We have only made in roads backwards and made things easier for your enemies to eliminate us.

Malayamuda, most of your comments is repetitious and unworthy of a response. Besides, you did not get the message that the genocide is on going (See the picture: http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&art…. And you have no answer for this. How do you intend to stop the ongoing genocide? All your posts is about blaming the diaspora and blaming the LTTE. But you have no answers for anything. You cannot stop the genocide, ethnic cleansing and dissolution of the north and east, can you?

If you say this, 'the BEST option for the Tamils is to go in for a political negotiation with the Govt with the help of the diaspora', please note that we have already tried the 'BEST option' (since the 50s) and the SL govt still does not want to talk to the Tamils today. They just want to dictate to the Tamils.

As regards the war option, everything is on the table. It is not for you to decide. It is for the Tamil community and their leaders to decide. You may have your say though. 'War is politics in another way' to quote someone.

after reading the comments, i am in agreement with malayamuda on some points i.e. that the LTTE was equally responsible for the killing of the innocent masses in SL. the tamils of SL(or at least certain quarters) wanted a separate state for themselves and i'm not saying they were wrong in wanting that … everyone wants something of their own … but sadly, wanting something so badly has also ended in one of the worst crimes against humanity in this century … and as much as the tamils would like to put the blame entirely on the sinhalese, their own tamil brothers in the LTTE are also to be blamed.

from what i know of my relatives who were still in SL when the war was at its peak, the LTTE went from house to house looking for teenage boys to join them and fight … in their minds, they were fighting for a valid cause … maybe so… but who answers for all that these children missed out on and lost? who answers for the thousands of lives lost in the war?

the people really had no choice but to follow the LTTE … and in the process, losing everything dear to them.

shld the tamils of sri lanka now negotiate on thier future? it's definitely better than a war but they don't have the means to do it … the bargaining power is not there!

i dont agree with temenggong that the tamils who stayed back in SL did so becos they opted for the war. they stayed back becos they had no means to flee. and look where it got them!

we were fortunate that our fathers & forefathers fled illangai when they did ..fled is not the right word …they left their shores looking for a brighter future not realising that some day there was going to be nothing left to go back to..

"Malayamuda, I will repeat to you one thing – the LTTE never killed any tamil except informers, betrayers and double crossers" is akin to saying the GoSL never killed any Tamils except informers , betrayers and double crossers to the Sinhala nation. So what we have been accusing the Sinahal Nation so far is OK when the LTTE is doing it. Both killed Tamils they thought we a threat to them !

"It is called surrender diplomacy" – this is the same method the LTTE used each time it came close to defeat. The last time the LTTE used surrender diplomacy was from Jan to May 2009 when they urged the GoSL to return to the negotiating table. REPEATEDLY ! And they used their overseas networks and synpathisers like the TRO and MTF to rally supporters to urge UN to force the GoSL to the negotiating table.

When that too failed they released footages of injured Tamil civilians to the world, again thru their agents. It was a sorry series of "surrender diplomacy " and propaganda.

I am not a blind supporter or do I buy everything dished out to me by LTTE or the GoSL. But I strongly feel that in this moment in time [ not 1977] the BEST option for the Tamils is to go in for a political negotiation with the Govt with the help of the diaspora. We should directly engage with the GoSL and stop mediating through third parties like the UN/ Obama or Norway. DIRECT negotiation is the best way for us.

The destruction of lives had been immense since the war, at an accelerated pace and it is NOT advantageous to the Tamils at all.

WAR IS DEFINATELY OUT OF THE QUESTION.

IF MTF SEEMS TO A SYMPATHISER OF THE LTTE AND SUPPORT ANOTHER WAR IN EELAM I CAN ASSURE YOU, YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE MALAYSIAN TAMILS [ INDIANS INCLUDED ] and somenody will probably report you guys to the authorities.

The Tamil people will decide who is the traitor to the Tamil people and the Tamil cause !

1. Malayamuda appears to think the Sri Lankan government did absolutely nothing wrong in the last days of the war. He claims that the only reason Tamil civilians died was because they were used as human shields. This is not supported by what evidence we have unearthed so far. If in fact the Sri Lankan government did nothing wrong, why do they hide from an independent UN inquiry as requested by the Governments of most developed democracies, the UN Human Rights Commissioner, the UN Secretary General, the International Crisis Group, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

2. The question now is not whether or not to keep the memory of the LTTE alive, but to allow the Government of Sri Lanka to get away with war crimes. Not to worry – rich Malaysians, and Malaysian companies will soon be getting fat developing the rest of Sri Lanka, with some crumbs thrown to the Tamils in the North and North East. Already, many of our Tamils are getting ready to invest in Sri Lanka, in a classic example of the rapacious disaster capitalism set out in Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine".

To both Temenggong and Malayamuda, it would add much to the debate if you would publish your thoughts with your real identities. Please email [email protected] with a your thoughts and comments on this issue, if you are agreeable.

Within the Tamils, the ones who are virulently anti-LTTE are those families of the PLOTE and TELO who were wiped out. That is natural. They were the ones who fled the island after the fraticidal war and had always campaigned against the LTTE and always tried to negotiate compromises with the SL govt. It is called surrender diplomacy.

Malayamuda, I will repeat to you one thing – the LTTE never killed any tamil except informers, betrayers and double crossers, as Eelam was under Sinhala subjugation and a gauntlet of pogroms against Tamils. It was TELO that started the killings of TULF political leaders under the instructions of RAW. Please disabuse yourself of propaganda by anti-LTTE Tamils and the Sinhalas.

Genocide is more intense now after the war:

"The international system fails or refuses to see that humiliation and structural genocide of Tamils by the Sinhala state have become ever more intense after the war, mainly assisted by the paradigms under which the international community is operating."

"The international system has still not accepted its failure that its paradigms about terrorism, tactics of counter insurgency, approaches to peace-building and development have only paved way for unchecked genocide by the Sri Lankan state."

"Denied of this direct negotiation space with the international system, the Tamils are forced into becoming ‘slaves to the slaves’, which means all options other than confrontation is closed for them, even one-year after the war."

Tamilnet

Malayamuda, get used to the idea that genocide of Tamils is ongoing as we speak. (You will hear of it in the months and years to come.) Are you now blaming the LTTE for this too?

Temenggong, At the end of the day we are all Tamils. Killing me bcos i dont share your views or ideals is unaccetable. I can accept a Sinhalese killing a Tamil but NEVER a Tamil killing a Tamil no matter what the excuse.

Prabhakaran has eliminated nearly all Tamil leaders bcos they did not share/ support the way he was going to achieve Eelam.

From what you have written I gather you are an old man who is gullible to all the videos on the internet showing the sufferings of the Tamils. I for one see the videos, visit Tamilnet, Visit Sinhalese websites, Visit Vanni, speak to my Tamil people and then make my conclusion.

I listen to Brian Seneviratne and wonder why he is so against the Sinhalese. I listen to Dr Ethirveerasingam and wonder why he is pro Tamil and married to a white. He and his sons dont speak Tamil but are pro Tamil. This makes me wonder if they are sincere in their efforts. Do they have a hidden agenda ? Are they playing with the emotions of the old Tamil man ?

Which world leader wants to be like Prabhakaran ? Obama or Osama ? Neither ! So how can you say LTTE leaders are role models. Which Tamil mother wants her sons to be Prabhakaran ? This can be assessed by how many Tamil Youths have the name " Prabhakaran " , how many mothers / fathers named their kids Prabhakaran after May 2009 ? In and outside Eelam that is ……this speaks volumes for itself.

So please dont dream that Prabhakaran is a role model. He forced his leadership on the Tamil people. Thats what Prabhakaran is. You seem to have many wonderful dreams. I hope it makes you happy dreaming ………..

Malayamuda, do not worry about how many tamils support the Cause. Obviously it is not yours. We can do very well without you. Only my reminder that you should not be an obstacle to our heartfelt efforts.

That violence begets violence, and oppression breeds terror, is something that should be told to the Sinhalese, don't you think. And not to the victims!

I now see that you are a young person, probably without children, or relatives in Eelam who directly suffered under the Sinhalese, inexperienced and immature, naive and easily gullible to propaganda, wide-eyed 'save the world and the whales', pray for peace type superficialist. Relax. If you are in the early 30s, you might be intelligent but it will take you another 20 years before wisdom and practicality dawns. Have you not heard, talking to youth is a waste of time? Leave these matters to us the elders.

Your notion that those who voted for the VR ran away is your fantasy, as the truth may clash with the reality. Since you are obviously unaware, the vote was over 80% for the VR in all districts in the north and east. It was near unanimous! I hope you can understand this english.

These 'intellectual' personages you listed; Ponnampalam, Duraippah, etc – these are the very ones that failed to prevent the discrimination of the Tamils in the first place, right through the 40s to the 70s. They are failures. So much for education.

Most of the youths in the 70s and 80s were discriminated in education, remember? These are some of the first ones who rebelled. You are ignorant of the issues, or pretending to be, and your views is based on this ignorance.

The LTTE leaders are role models for the world, and has been described as such! Their "action to resist oppression" have been taken right out of the pages of the Mahabharata, Bagavadgita, Ramayana and the Koran! Obviously you have no religious understanding except for foolish notions of prayers, peace, ahimsa, etc in a time of oppression. In your thoughtless haste, you have involuntarily disclosed you are not a Hindu or Buddhist. I now know your mind.

i bet you want to Murder me now for being a traitor to the Tamil cause. But let me tell you there are so many more Malayamudas out there born after 1977 who do not agree with the Vaddukkoddai Resolution. Even those who voted and sweared they will perish in the war have run away.

While we are on the topic, may I know what are some of these peoples education qualifications to lead the Tamil people. Are they as educated as Sir Ponnampalam Arunachalam, Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan, Chelvanayakam , Appapillai Amirthalingam, Alfred Duraippah…………OK is that too much to ask………at least have they got the education of Thondaman or Samy Vellu ?

well at least from the Malaysian side, u can see how many people support the war and your organisation here in Malaysia is getting.

Of the 1 million Tamils present in Malaysia how many actually attended your function at the Girl Guides hall ? From this you will realise that the Tamils in Malaysia know who is calling bluff using the pictures and videos of injured civilians to get sympathy for war !

Remember violence begets violence ! You must be able to decide what if fact and what if fiction. What is a dream and what is reality !

TGTE an NGO working towards state like status like the Vatican…….dream on ! Better go back to sleep and continue your dream !

First let me assure you that the LTTE is alive and well, all their resources intact inspite of losing about 4,500 fighters. Loss of fighters is expected and a given in any struggle. It changes nothing! Nobody undertakes a struggle without expecting losses and setbacks. Once an armed struggle commences and blood and power has been tasted, the genie cannot be put back into the bottle, unless it is transmuted into a regular military unit. The LTTE is here to stay forever. This very blog is read by the LTTE.

You bought the SL propaganda that civilians were taken as human shields which is laughed off in military circles. How gullible! Of course in the last weeks many were conscripted for the struggle. That is to be expected. School? No school was functioning in the entire Vanni in 2009!

You're being repetitious with your notions when I had already explained to you why the people were prevented from leaving in the last couple of weeks. Too bad if you cannot understand the meaning of 'to prevent even more loss for both civilians and fighters as release would give their positions away'. There is a general failure in understanding on your part. Dwell on this!

TGTE is currently an NGO working to obtain virtual State status like the Vatican. TGTE is of the diaspora and not of the resident Eelam tamils, although they will join and be represented later on.

By the general boycott of the latest elections the tamils have indicated that they have no hope in SL and are not a part of it. By electing the TNA as the largest tamil representative party they have indicated that they still very much follow the LTTE line.

As to whether they will be a future war, the resident tamils leaders will decide on it.

I saw the video. Kadirgamar was going around the world visiting the diaspora and calling the LTTE a terrorist organisation, despite of several warnings, when earlier he supported it. Hahaha….reform the SL state …hahaha.. good luck!

Some people never learn.

At least the younger Kadirgamar admits it was the LTTE that rallied the diaspora for support, and not the other way around as you suggested.

Please dont use the pictures of Tamil civilians and pretend you guys are actually worried about the civilians in Jaffna when you are not. The fact is you are depressed the LTTE was completely wiped out 1 yr back.

The civilians would not have got hurt if Prabhakaran had not used them as Human shield to stop himself from being cornered.How can one claim to protect his people and at the same time expose them to the enemy as the front line army ? This is not the trait of a Tiger definately !

I have spoken to hundreds of children who were forced to hold the gun. They were kidnapped. Children who were supposed to be in school were asked to fight for some defunct Vaddukkodai Resolution decided before they were even born by their ancestors who sweared they will perish if Eelam is not granted but finally ran off to European countries to survive.

They talk so much about Tamil culture and Tamil tradition but have you seen how 2nd generation Eelam Tamil live in these European countries ? These are the decendants of the people who promised they will perish for Eelam.

For the LTTE, other Tamil militant groups and moderate politicians were the " traitors". It was Ok for the LTTE to kill these "traitors".

For the GoSL, the LTTE was the traitor to the country. BUT according to your logic, it is NOT OK for the GoSL to kill who they thought were traitors. So there is one set of rules for Tamil traitors in LTTE eyes and one set of rules for Tamil traitors in GoSL eyes ?

Is this not practising Double standards then ?

Amnesty released a statement today that LTTE indeed used civilians are Human sheilds during the last days of war. They prevented these civilians from leaving the battle field.They also forced children to carry the gun and serve the LTTE against their will.

TGTE ? You guys must be crazy. TGTE is not a legitimate Government. It was not voted in by the people of Tamil Eelam and thus has no moral authority to represent Tamil Eelam. Furthermore there is no Tamil Eelam hence no question of a Tamil Eelam Government !

Remaining fighters and detainees will have to look at the bigger picture and use other avenues to settle this conflict, war is not an option at all. If there is another war, the Tamils will be as good as finished !

The Tamils in Sri Lanka have still not indicated what they really want post war. Whatever their decision we will have to respect it. After 30 yrs of war , I doubt anyone would vote for war for another 30 years.

Malayamuda, then you adamantly missed the many explanations I provided as you keep repeating the same wrong notions! Go back and read what I said as I will not repeat myself like an echolalia-ist.

Fine, let your children eat and shit on the planet for the rest of their lives. Enjoy their grand wedding in KalaMandapam. The rest of us will do what we can, politically or militarily. We request that if you cannot put your shoulder to the onerous task that was placed on the community, then at least do not be an obstacle.

The spring up of 30 armed groups all over the island is a spontaneous reaction of the resident tamil people to the happenings in SL. Did the diaspora create this too? See your foolish notions?

If you had read about the civil war in SL you would know that it was India's RAW that instigated these armed groups like PLOTE and TELO to fight the LTTE so that they (India) could gain a upper hand in SL. These groups had compromised on the VR and were taking instructions from India. Yes these groups were traitors for siding with India and starting the fraticidal war. It was only after this fraticidal war that an Eelam nation came to be established for 20 years, but was snatched away by a conspiracy of 6 nations – Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, China, Iran and the US.

No children were kidnapped and that is your wild imagination. The law of the land was that every family contribute one fighter. Some families tried to escape that 'conscription' and sent away their children to the south or overseas. But no one cheats the LTTE. Sooner of later they will have to make it up for it by contributing someone else from their extended family. So there you are. If you are ignorant about these matters, then do not hallucinate and speak!

Who says it will be definitely be war? (But the option always remains.)We are saying we will stick to the cause and the elders will decide what the course of action will be. For the immediate moment, the course is the TGTE route, while the weapons will remain silent. This simply means we are back to 1977.

And do you really think that the survivors, remaining fighters and detainees are going to let it go and not settle scores after losing so many dead? That would be a fantasy, wouldn't it? There you have it! I have already spelled it out for you. Now don't go and blame the diaspora for this too.

mayb we should give the ones who suffered 30 years fighting for Eelam a break and switch places. The diaspora who want the war go back to Sri Lanka and fight it out.And those who have suffered all this while can sit in Star Bucks and sip coffee or collect some money for the war to carry on and send it back to Eelam.

Dont pass this to your children, you're alive now able to eat and shit on this planet so you should go fight for Eelam till your last breath. Lead by example. Dont pass the burden to your children. You want them to talk about your outdated V Resolution ? Chelvanayakam himself was not a militant and he perished soon after the V Resolution.

As for me, I dont have to do that cos I want the Tamils to solve this problem democratically. I feel there has been destruction against the Tamils at a faster speed since the war began in 1983. The death of Sivakumar in 1971 does not mark the start of the war.

30 groups were formed to fight for Eelam ? That it self shows the amount of unity the Tamils have amongst themselves.

30 militant groups for ONE cause [ this shows that each had their own selfish interest and not the interest of Eelam at heart ]

The time they were not fighting with the Sinhalese, they were fighting amongst themselves killing "traitors" amongst themselves i suppose.

Finally the fittest of the whole won the INTRA Eelam war [ after killing of PLOTE, EPRLF and the like ] and became the sole BIG bully of the Tamils.

The people who voted that "they will perish" in the V Resolution fled Eelam. They are responsible for the destruction of their country as they sponsored the war and forced Tamils to been kidnapped into militant groups and forced to fight. What then is the difference between the Sinhalese who kidnapped Tamil in the "white van " and the LTTE which kidnapped children at nights when the family was asleep ? Both person went missing and were unheard of.

Stop this war. It benefits NO one especially the Tamils.

And please feel sorry for the Tamils who perished in the last days of the war as there were not allowed to leave the war zone by the Tamil Tigers [ following strongly the V Resolution of 1977 ]. This is a war crime and the Tamil Tigers should be answerable. They killed Tamil civilians, Tamil politicians in the name of being " traitors " to the cause.

They destroyed the Tamil country and they are responsible for this carnage equally together with the GoSL

Malayamuda, of course any decision to recommence the war will be made by tamils resident in Sri Lanka. How could it be otherwise? Which one of the tamil militant leaders and foot soldiers were not Eelam residents? Prabakaran? Pottu Amman? Soosai? Kittu? KP? Nediyavan? Which one? Weren't these were the ones who were calling the shots?

The notion that the diaspora forced and sponsored the resident tamils to fight while they staying overseas safe, is entirely wrong. It was the other way around; the resident tamils forced the diaspora to finance their activities initially. Later the LTTE acquired a billion dollar business empire and self financed themselves. Whatever the diaspora contributed in the later decades went towards welfare work as well as lobbying activities in the west!

Yes, I have instructed my kids to acquire dual use skills which they are already doing so. Have you? I have already informed them that this is their battle which will occur in their lifetimes, not mine, and that they must put their shoulder to the task when summoned. Like MIA, it is the very least they could do instead of eating and shitting around on the planet, I told them.

Eelam, Malaysia and Sri Lanka are in different circumstances. In Eelam/Sri Lanka there is a civil war; not so in Malaysia. In SL there was ongoing pogroms for years, and in Eelam there is/was a military govt in place. Notices of laws and warnings were put up on the streets for the people to read and abide by, and broadcast on radio. Killings by the SL govt were already happening, so what is there to complain or not complain?

Forbes lists the tamil diaspora net worth wealth at $1.5 trillion. That's right, trillion, not billion! It is 20 times larger than the GNP of Sri Lanka and rivals the GNP of India. The foundation is already there!

if the war continues , people will perish at a much faster rate than they already are.

Most people who voted for the V Resolution are either dead and gone or migrated.

I want the people who have undergone misery the past 30 years to decide if they want war. I dont want that decision to be made from someone who calls himself a Tamil living comfortably in Malaysia, Singapore or Australia.

I feel what we are doing is very unfair to the Tamils who remain in Sri Lanka. If we want to re start the war then we have to give and option to the Tamils who want to get out and sponsor them to live, NOT SPONSOR THEM TO DIE !

The rate of destruction of the Tamils has been much faster from 1983 to 2009 than from 1956 to 1983.

Would you return to Sri Lanka with your family and fight for Eelam should the war re start and let the ones who have been suffering the past 30 years take your place for a change ?

Its easy to say " we shall all perish " but the fact is some of us will not perish cos we are not in Sri Lanka.

If you feel that LTTE has the right to kill anyone it feels has been a traitor to the cause and Eelam, then you should not complain when the Sri Lankan army or the Malaysian Government kills anyone they feel is a traitor too.

I hope everyone got my statement – "The LTTE did NOT kill Aany people, I repeat, NONE! They did kill informers, betrayers, traitors and those that tried to compromise on the V. Resolution even after all warnings were given!

Malayamuda, the choice for Tamils, before and now, is simple – fight for a separate state, or perish! As we speak daily there are abductions, raping and killing going on – a staggered low intensity pogrom. It has been a never ending process since 1956. And now, post May/09, it has escalated. Are you aware?

The Tamils today are not better or worse off than say before 1983. The same or worse would have happened if they did not pursue self determination. It is all conjecture. We might as well use a crystal ball.

The ones who stayed back in Sri Lanka are the ones that chose to opt for war! It really started in 1971 with Sivakumar. The ones who migrated are the ones that chose to flee, but many did support the war effort with funds. Many also griped about the LTTE, BECAUSE the LTTE wiped out the other militant groups, and these whiners are the living relatives of those losers who died in the fraticidal war. Get it?

This is what Chelvanayakam and almost all others wanted. Their voting pattern in 1977 indicated that resolutely. Everyone knew precisely what they were getting into. In no time 30 armed groups came into existence! Do you think Prabakaran or anyone inspired 30 different groups? New groups are already forming now and you'll hear about it soon. What do you say to that? Blame Prabakaran?

By 1989 when the IPKF left, it was the LTTE that was the 'military government' in Eelam. The political leaders had been replaced. It was the civic and paramount national duty for everyone to obey the laws and serve the Eelam 'nation'. And the laws were simple – fight, or do not be an obstacle, or an informer and traitor. It was as simple as that!

All along from 1989-2008 the LTTE did not obstruct Sri Lanka's elections nor the SL judiciary from functioning. In fact they helped form the TNA and allowed it to perform, did they not! In 2003 they agreed to the Interim Governing Proposals. So what is the basis for this fear that the LTTE may not observe democracy? Just tell us all what is the basis for your doubt?

In all these few decades the only thing that stood between the Tamils and a holocaust was the LTTE.

Unless YOU do something about it the Tamils will perish, as foresawed by Chelvanayakam.

but dont u think the Tamils of Lanka are far worse off from what they were 30 years ago ?

from fighting for University seats, Government jobs, equal opportunities in the 70s, 80s and 90s today they are fighting for food, shelter and clothes………they dont have an education, they dont have anything and they dont even know if they will be alive tomorrow ?

So what has having the war and the Vaddukoddai Declaration achieved for the Tamils in the past 30 years.

The ones who voted for the war have since migrated and living comfortable lives in European countries. Given a chance they would not return to Eelam. Their children have forgotten the Tamil culture and live western lives. However they still sponsor a war they dont want to be a part of but prefer someone else to fight for.

Do u think Chelvanayakam would be happy ? Is this what Chelvanayakam wanted ?

Malayamuda, please read the Vattukottai Resolution. It was a call to arms. At that point in 1977 the political leadership passed on the mantle to the leadership of the armed combatants.

The LTTE did not ANY people, I repeat, NONE! They did kill informers, betrayers, traitors and those that tried to compromise on the Resolution even after all warnings were given! Such executions are decided by a committee (military court) before any order is given, and is not casually made.

But it is also true that some mistakes were made in identifying possible informers. Many killings by other groups as well as the Sri Lanka government have been also conveniently blamed on them.

At the same time there were suicide bombings on civilians. This is what we call diversionary tactics in military parlance, and is practiced by all militaries. The objective to to pin down large numbers of troops in security and patrolling duties so that the actual combatant force that the LTTE has to deal with is much lower and manageable.

In the last days of the war, the people either had to retreat along with the LTTE or face bombings at the hands of the SLA. This started with Killinochi. The whole town was evacuated as it was under bombings! Once Puthukudiyiruppu was reached, the LTTE required the people to stay together so as to minimise the losses for both the people and the LTTE troops, as the NFZ was also being bombed. If not for this tactic the losses would have been larger. It was something like Stalingrad. THE SLA pincer movement on six sides itself shows that the SLA intended the people to be boxed in and follow the LTTE so as to confuse and slow down the LTTE. No choice was given. Do not believe the propaganda that has been put out.

Of course the Tamils in Eelam are deciding their future. At all times it is they who did. It is they who passed the resolution, and it is they who called on the diaspora for support! Who else? The diaspora is just waiting for their cue.

Tell us all how can the Tamils in Eelam vote on their future? Will the SL govt allow that?

We will see the outcome of the TGTE which is suported by the diaspora. It provides a moral and diplomatic effort.

The people in the IPD camps did confirm that they followed the LTTE as they had no choice, and that the LTTE did protect them for 30 years, except in the last few days of the war when they had NO CHOICE. Military leaders sometimes have to make cold decisions.

Do not be naive in believing the Tamils did not ask for financial support from the diaspora. Or for the war. There are things that I cannot mention in a public forum like this. Any member of the diaspora will tell you that they have been sending money back to the relatives even in the 60s, 70s, till now!!

Prabakaran and the other fighters died like Spartacus! They set the Gold Standard on valour and military organisation. There has been no such equivalent since the days of Sparta!

300,000 teenagers and children were traumatised and battle hardened in 2009 in the Vanni alone! In a few more years we would have an army of young adults ready for payback! Nothing could be worse than facing the retribution of a young man or women who has lost a loved one. In this disturbed condition they will do anything.

the fact that Diaspora Tamil vote over whelmingly for a separate Eelam in Canada/ Norway/ France etc etc is of NO significance. However if the Tamils living in Lanka voted over whelmingly for a separate Eelam thats of significance ! Someone should organise this vote then…….

the Tamils of Lanka never asked for donations to support the war. The LTTE did. The LTTE is not the elcted representative of the Tamils of Lanka. And the LTTE = Sri Lankan Tamils.

At the memorial yesterday I couldnt help to feel that everyone was feeling sorry for Prabhakaran and the LTTE. No doubt most of you mentioned thousands of Tamil civilians perished, I could not help it but to feel there was no sincerity in the loss of the Live of the common man/woman and child on the street.

On 19 November 1976 when Ipoh born Chelvanayakam said this in Parliament there was no separatist groups present. Chelvanayakam himself was no separatist. He was a moderate Tamil leader ,legitimately elected to represent the Tamils in Parliament. Never in his wildest dreams would Chelva had envisioned his people to be in this state today.

The moderate Tamil leaders who came after Chelvanayakam like Appapillai Amirthalingam, Neelan Thiruchelvam and the rest were systematically killed by the LTTE and not the Government of Sri Lanka.

In fact majority of the Tamil politicians were assasinated by the LTTE if they did not toe the LTTE line , thus making , by default, the leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran as the de facto leader of the Tamils. Prabhakaran was not an elected leader of the Tamils. His leadership was forced upon the Tamil people. They had no choice.

In the last days of the war the Tamil civilians were forced to follow the LTTE as they retreated. Could u possibly imagine a whole town following the LTTE voluntarily ? It's impossible. The fact is the LTTE used its own people as human shields. And the result we have 40,000 dead innocent people who were there to protect their so called protectors.

Thats what we are mourning for at the Girl Guides Hall in Brickfields today ! 40,000 people who sacrificed their lives for the LTTE against their will.

We call for investigations for war crimes committed by both sides. But one side has been totally eliminated, so who will pay for their crimes.

Enough is enough, let the Tamils in Lanka determine their own destiny !

"We voted en masse, and wrote in stone, that we shall have Eelam. Or certainly perish!"

The late Mr.S.J.V. Chelvanayakam, the internationally revered leader of the Tamils in his last ever speech in Parliament made on 19 November 1976 left this message to the Sinhalese, the Tamils and the Nation and the international community in unambiguous terms.

“Our Party is moving with the idea of establishing a separate state. It is not an easy matter to get a separate State; it is a difficult matter. We know it is difficult. But *either* we get out of the power of the Sinhala masses *or we perish.* That is certain. Therefore, we will try and get this separation.”

Dear Malayamuda, it was the resident people of Eelam that made that fateful decision in 1977 to strive for self determination 'at all cost'. They knew the costs, and they knew it would take generations. They chose it themselves after all the marginalisation, abductions and deaths they had been facing since 1956.

Today the people they are in no position to make any decision, and their leaders and people have passed on the responsibility to the diaspora, who are free, to make the right decisions on behalf of the people of Eelam. For, nearly every Tamil family has one member in the diaspora. Besides the recent elections shows a loss in confidence in Sri Lanka, and together with the diaspora vote for the TGTE, it may be read as an affirmation of the 1977 decision.

What happened in 2009 was that 6 nations came together surreptitiously to deny the peoples legitimate right to self determination and in the process conducted a genocide under the cover of fighting terrorism, while the rest of the world looked the other way!

There was no terrorism in the fight for self determination. It's an oxymoron. You bought the propaganda that has been dished out. The war was fought by the people who reside in Sri Lanka, not outside fighters! That will be the case too in future, WHEN they decide to raise their silenced weapons again. The diaspora merely provides the support, when demanded!

Malayamuda makes a valid point: there is no doubting the rights of those still living in the island of Sri Lanka to determine their own future by democratic means.

But remember too that there is devastation in the North and East. Those who live there are in no position to "negotiate" – how do these starving people negotiate with those wielding power who have locked him up behind barbed wires?

Those who form the diaspora should always reflect that it was by mere chance that we ourselves escaped massacre, either because we escaped ourselves or because our parents or grandparents migrated. Thus, we have some legitimacy in highlighting to the international community the gross injustices that occurred and persist.

It is up to us, outside, living in safety, to press for the inherent rights of the Tamil speaking people of Sri Lanka to self determination and ensure that this right is not sacrificed as a result of hunger, fear and despair.

indeed a sad day ! militarily trying to defeat a Government is not an easy task. They should have done it thru the elctoral process. Can u imagine what would happen to Indians in Malaysia should say, Hindraf decide to take up arms to "protect" the rights of the Indians here.

Everyone – guilty or not guilty will be killed in the name of eliminating terrorism ! It is with this that I hope the Tamils in Sri Lanka would return to the negotiating table and use their vote to voice their protest and grievances.

Terror will ONLY invite terror. The quality of lives of the Tamils in Sri Lanka was far much better than what it was 30 years ago. Today they dont even know if they will be alive tomorrow. They fought for University seats, today the youth dont even go to school. They fought for jobs, today the dont have food on their table. They fought rights, today they dont have shelter over their heads.

The destiny of the Jaffna Tamil should be decided by the Jaffna Tamil residing in Jaffna itself and NOT the Jaffna Tamil from the Jaffna Diaspora. Dont force a war on a people from the comfort of where you live ………PLEASE !